The announcement follows the campaign entitled Focus On The Seventies Program. The following is copied from the announcement:

The Background

Most friends of the College will recall that the current campaign effort is merely the first step in a longer-range program to raise a total of $8.5 million to maintain and improve Manchester's educational excellence.  The main focus of this initial campaign was the proposed auditorium, long recognized as the College's most pressing capital need.  Although endowment was also considered a high priority need, only a reletively modest amount could be included as part of the first-phase goal.  The long-range plan, however, did include the sum of $2.5 million for endowment, and it was Manchseter's intention to concentrate on this second need as soon as the auditorium had been underwritten.

Now, by taking advantag of the Lilly challenge, the College will move dramatically closer to this second major development goal.  Simply put, the net effect is this: By subscribing just $250,000 more than was called for in the original compaign, the overall campaign total will climb from $2.5 millinon to $3.5 million - a total gain of $1 million.  ....... Thus, not only will be auditorium be assured, but Manchester's endowment holdings will be almost doubled - an accomplishment that oridinarily would have required the better part of a decade.